I also was given the opportunity to try different types of Asian cuisines that I have had much opportunity to try before. One of the first major meals my friends and I had was malatang together late at night in Sydney’s Chinatown. I initially had no idea what malatang even was, but I agreed to be led by my friends’ suggestion for what to have for dinner. Malatang was, in a way, a build-your-own-soup bowl that gave the opportunity to mix things that I already knew I liked such as bokchoy, spinach and beef with new flavors like lamb and fish dumplings. This meal was the beginning of my ongoing love of exploring Chinatown and the Haymarket cultural neighborhoods.
Before coming to Australia, I did not imagine traditionally Australian foods being much different from commonly eaten foods in the United States. I knew that Vegemite was a staple item in many different Aussie homes, but I thought that I would enjoy it as it was highly spoken of by many local students in my classes. However, when I tried it on toast, I found that the taste was rather interesting. Vegemite has a salty, almost bitter taste, close to the taste of soy sauce or beef bouillon. It was interesting to try a toast spread that was salty rather than my usual sweet honey butter toast breakfast. Because it is something so different, I imagine that it is more of a taste you learn to enjoy over time rather than something you enjoy eating off the bat.
